FP2: Leclerc stays out of trouble to head second practice

F1 Grand Prix, GP Austria, Red Bull Ring

Clearly, Charles Leclerc did more than just stay on the track, but before you can get to grab anything, you need to keep your car out of trouble, and that's where most of Leclerc's rivals failed.

Charles Leclerc thus set the pace for Ferrari in the second practice session at the Red Bull Ring, but the big news came for rivals who damaged their cars due to various crashes.

The first who ended his session early was Max Verstappen as he lost control of the rear end of his Red Bull RB15 midway through Turn 10. The Dutchman entered into a half spin and then slid backward into the barriers. The impact itself wasn't heavy, but the car did incur damage at the rear end, while clearly the tyres were made square by the time the car came to a stand still.

Once the red flag was gone, action lasted for just a few minutes before Valtteri Bottas lost his Mercedes W10 at Turn 6. The Finn appeared to have been slightly off the apex when the rear started sliding away from him. His counter steer initially didn't do much, but when it caught on, the car veered to the right and speared off into the barriers, scrapping the front suspension elements, nose cone and front wing completely.

Bottas sat in the car for a little while but then got out without personal harm.

Ferrari's Vettel similarly has a moment at Turn 10, though he lost control right on turn-in. He slid sideways over the gravel and was lucky to some to a halt a meter away from the barriers. Though the tyres were dead, Vettel managed to get going again and return to the pits for his crew to check the car out.

Overall, it resulted in a curious timing sheet at the end of the session, with several people's runs ruined due to red flags, as well as the above only completing a part of the session.